You mentioned that the Z4 M40i goes on sale later this year. I work at a BMW dealership in CT and we have a few. One is up for sale right now for $69,505. Which is a little too expensive for that car in my opinion. Especially when you can get an M2 Competition for $63,000.

So, you want to buy BMW roadster, you want to experience ultimate driving car with top down motoring, So, you expect superb driving dynamics, fast, engaging car that stirs soul, and drives so much better than most of the anything on the road, You are prepared to pay premium for this much superiority. Except... 1. Is it quick? yes it is as fast as Honda Accord that your neighbor paid half of what you did. 2. Steering is great? No it is vague and unpredictable ( who would have imagined this would be how we would describe Bimmer's steering). That Honda has better, much better steering. 3. is it nimble like sports car should be? NOPE: it is heavy and feels heavy and it doesn't shrink around you, it cannot hide its mass. Another neighbor of yours paid half for nimble Miata 4. ok fine but it should sound great right? Nope it sounds weird and pedestrian 5. is is Luxuriois? you betcha! 6. Does it cost much! Oh yeas, all that mediocrity comes with premium price tag. so, my question is : why would you buy this car ?

7. OK, but it sure does have that third pedal and manual gearbox to connect with car on an intimate level right? Nope. Automatic only!

One car I would have liked to see in this comparison is the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider.
At only 2500 lbs, and sporting a robust 237 hp, it should run rings around the portly Z4, and challenge the 718 for fastest lap times.
The fun-to-drive quotient would be up the scale as well.

Ultimately, then they would be comparing that M40i (that isn't available yet) to either a Boxster S, or a Boxster GTS, and you still wouldn't find the outcome any better, because the M car is still going to be heavy, and not as well balanced as the Porsche is, even though the Porsche has less power.

And you would still be crying foul if they compared the M40i against the new 718 Spyder, with the Flat-6 engine.

It's not rigged, its just a comparison of the closest matched vehicles from two great manufacturers.

Just how in the world does the Boxster score a 10 in exterior styling when it looks almost like the original?

You say that like it's a negative.

And honestly, if someone else in traffic gets more attention than my Cayman, I'm perfectly fine with that.Why the heck do I want people paying close attention to me when I'm dancing around with a sports car?

And trust me, the Cayman gets plenty of positive comments from the people around me, when I'm running around town.

The Boxster is a great drivers car that costs too much for what you get. The interior is a joke for a car that easily gets to 70k.
The best thing is to wait 2-3 years, and buy one used when depreciation has taken its toll.